On the frigid morning of Feb. 10, 1943, the 5,900 soldiers of the 250th “Blue” Infantry Division — Spanish volunteers fighting for the Axis on the Eastern Front of World War II — were sitting in their trenches and dugouts when the high-explosive shells fired from hundreds of Soviet... Read more

Catalonia, the Spanish autonomous region at the center of a historic secession crisis, could declare independence in a matter of days. If it happens, Madrid will not recognize the breakaway state. It’s not clear if the European Union, which needs Spain’s permission, would allow Catalonia to remain a member.... Read more

Washington and Madrid finally signed an agreement to finish cleaning up the village of Palomares in southern Spain, where a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber and a KC-135 tanker collided and, besides killing seven airmen, also rained down 40,000 gallons of jet fuel … and four hydrogen bombs. In... Read more

Some of the largest non-nuclear explosions on record — in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1917, Port Chicago, California in 1944 and Texas City, Texas in 1947 — involved huge accidental blasts at harbors and aboard ships. But what if a similar explosion occurred by intent rather than accident? A really... Read more